Vicki Skryha, Oregon Department of Human Services housing and homeless program manager, who will talk about fair housing laws and facilities siting laws.

Gary Cobb of the Recovery Association Project, a nonprofit organization that provides a vehicle for people to speak out about addiction issues, who will talk about reducing stigma in addiction, behavioral health and primary-care settings.

LaVonne and John Doherty, a Portland couple who will tell the story of how they lost a daughter to drugs and depression and the role they believe stigma played; and Matthew Goss of Portland, who will talk about Faces & Voices of Recovery advocacy work related to stigma and treatment.

In an earlier report this year, Council members said they believe stigma against those who abuse alcohol and other drugs is severe and should be addressed in an effort to get people into treatment earlier.

Surveys conducted for Faces & Voices of Recovery found that two-thirds of the general public believes stigma exists against people in recovery and 27 percent believed it was acceptable that some companies are less likely to hire people in recovery. A separate survey found that four in 10 people in recovery said embarrassment or shame was their biggest obstacle to entering treatment.